Asked by: Lord Taylor of Warwick (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the launch of the London Stock Exchange's private securities market under the private intermittent securities and capital exchange system framework; and what assessment they have made of the impact of that market on UK capital formation for high-growth technology businesses.
Answered by Lord Livermore - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
In May 2025, the Government delivered legislation to establish the Private Intermittent Securities and Capital Exchange System (PISCES), which will support private firms to scale and grow.
The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has since approved two PISCES operators.
The Treasury and the FCA will jointly assess the efficacy of PISCES over the five-year sandbox period. Consideration will be given to the functioning of the legal and regulatory framework, as well as to the outcomes for market participants.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps his Department is taking to recover unpaid court fines.
Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
The Government takes the recovery and enforcement of financial penalties seriously and remains committed to ensuring penalties are paid. His Majesty’s Courts and Tribunals Service uses robust methods to do so including taking money from an offender’s benefits or salary and seizing and selling goods. In addition, the court can send offenders to prison for non-payment.
HMCTS is investing over £14 million to replace an outdated IT system used to support the collection and enforcement of financial penalties. Although the functionality of the modernised system will initially be largely like for like, it will provide HMCTS with a stable foundation for more sophisticated technology features to be delivered in the future to provide further improvements to increase collections.
Asked by: Richard Baker (Labour - Glenrothes and Mid Fife)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps her Department is taking to help ensure that Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) guidance on the treatment of vulnerable customers leads to changes in how payment terminals are (a) designed and (b) deployed; and whether she will take steps with the FCA to introduce binding requirements in this area.
Answered by Lucy Rigby - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)
The government is committed to ensuring high standards of financial inclusion across the financial services sector, including accessibility for blind and partially sighted customers.
The Equality Act 2010 provides legal protection from discrimination for disabled people in a range of circumstances, including in the provision of goods, facilities and services and requires retailers to make reasonable adjustments. The Financial Conduct Authority also requires authorised financial services firms to comply with their ‘Consumer Duty’, which requires them to deliver good outcomes for retail customers, including those with disabilities.
Ensuring individuals have access to the financial products and services they need is a key priority for the government. This is why I published the Financial Inclusion Strategy last year which sets out a range of ambitious measures for government and industry to improve financial inclusion for underserved groups across the UK. This includes the launch of an industry-led inclusive design working group to consider how to make products more accessible.
As part of the focus on inclusive design, the strategy specifically acknowledges that the phasing out of tactile features from payment processes has made it more difficult for people who are blind or partially sighted to make payments independently.
The Royal National Institute of Blind People is working with providers and UK Finance, the leading trade association for the banking sector, to introduce accessible features for cards. UK Finance is developing a Code of Practice for Accessible Cards, providing a set of guidelines for accessibility features on card products for participating firms. The government welcomes this positive example of industry and consumer representatives working together on tangible solutions.
UK Finance also maintains voluntary standards to help ensure point-of-sale technology remains accessible for those who are visually impaired. It will be working with the British Retail Consortium to identify opportunities to go further in embedding accessibility features where they can make the most difference in practice.
The government continues to closely monitor progress in this important area.
Asked by: Richard Baker (Labour - Glenrothes and Mid Fife)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of accessibility across all aspects of banking and financial services for blind and partially sighted customers, including (a) payment terminals, (b) online banking, (c) card design, (d) verification processes, and (e) compatibility with assistive technology.
Answered by Lucy Rigby - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)
The government is committed to ensuring high standards of financial inclusion across the financial services sector, including accessibility for blind and partially sighted customers.
The Equality Act 2010 provides legal protection from discrimination for disabled people in a range of circumstances, including in the provision of goods, facilities and services and requires retailers to make reasonable adjustments. The Financial Conduct Authority also requires authorised financial services firms to comply with their ‘Consumer Duty’, which requires them to deliver good outcomes for retail customers, including those with disabilities.
Ensuring individuals have access to the financial products and services they need is a key priority for the government. This is why I published the Financial Inclusion Strategy last year which sets out a range of ambitious measures for government and industry to improve financial inclusion for underserved groups across the UK. This includes the launch of an industry-led inclusive design working group to consider how to make products more accessible.
As part of the focus on inclusive design, the strategy specifically acknowledges that the phasing out of tactile features from payment processes has made it more difficult for people who are blind or partially sighted to make payments independently.
The Royal National Institute of Blind People is working with providers and UK Finance, the leading trade association for the banking sector, to introduce accessible features for cards. UK Finance is developing a Code of Practice for Accessible Cards, providing a set of guidelines for accessibility features on card products for participating firms. The government welcomes this positive example of industry and consumer representatives working together on tangible solutions.
UK Finance also maintains voluntary standards to help ensure point-of-sale technology remains accessible for those who are visually impaired. It will be working with the British Retail Consortium to identify opportunities to go further in embedding accessibility features where they can make the most difference in practice.
The government continues to closely monitor progress in this important area.
Asked by: Richard Baker (Labour - Glenrothes and Mid Fife)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether she has considered asking the Financial Conduct Authority to issue specific standards on payment terminal accessibility for blind and partially sighted people.
Answered by Lucy Rigby - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)
The government is committed to ensuring high standards of financial inclusion across the financial services sector, including accessibility for blind and partially sighted customers.
The Equality Act 2010 provides legal protection from discrimination for disabled people in a range of circumstances, including in the provision of goods, facilities and services and requires retailers to make reasonable adjustments. The Financial Conduct Authority also requires authorised financial services firms to comply with their ‘Consumer Duty’, which requires them to deliver good outcomes for retail customers, including those with disabilities.
Ensuring individuals have access to the financial products and services they need is a key priority for the government. This is why I published the Financial Inclusion Strategy last year which sets out a range of ambitious measures for government and industry to improve financial inclusion for underserved groups across the UK. This includes the launch of an industry-led inclusive design working group to consider how to make products more accessible.
As part of the focus on inclusive design, the strategy specifically acknowledges that the phasing out of tactile features from payment processes has made it more difficult for people who are blind or partially sighted to make payments independently.
The Royal National Institute of Blind People is working with providers and UK Finance, the leading trade association for the banking sector, to introduce accessible features for cards. UK Finance is developing a Code of Practice for Accessible Cards, providing a set of guidelines for accessibility features on card products for participating firms. The government welcomes this positive example of industry and consumer representatives working together on tangible solutions.
UK Finance also maintains voluntary standards to help ensure point-of-sale technology remains accessible for those who are visually impaired. It will be working with the British Retail Consortium to identify opportunities to go further in embedding accessibility features where they can make the most difference in practice.
The government continues to closely monitor progress in this important area.
Asked by: Lord Taylor of Warwick (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the work to fit tokenised collateral into existing financial market regulation frameworks; and what discussions they are having with the Financial Conduct Authority and the Bank of England about ensuring those frameworks support innovation and financial stability.
Answered by Lord Livermore - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
Last July, the Government published the Wholesale Financial Markets Digital Strategy, which sets out its commitment to establishing a regulatory and legislative framework that enables new digital solutions, such as tokenisation, to be taken forward.
The Strategy notes that current use cases demonstrate that English and Welsh law, alongside UK financial services legislation is, in many cases, sufficiently flexible to accommodate digital assets. However, the Strategy commits the Government to providing legal clarity where it is needed to accommodate distributed ledger technology and we are working closely with the financial services regulators to identify where such clarifications may be necessary.
As part of this, the Government has established the Digital Securities Sandbox (DSS). This addresses priority areas where existing requirements can create barriers to adopting new technology. The DSS allows participating entities to be subject to modified legislative requirements, to facilitate new digital infrastructures in the UK market.
Asked by: Mike Wood (Conservative - Kingswinford and South Staffordshire)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment his Department has made of the value for money of providing equipment and technology through the Flexible Support Fund, and whether alternative models have been considered.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
There is clear guidance in place for work coaches to follow when making awards. Work coaches must explore all other potential sources of financial support before using the Flexible Support Fund (FSF), so that spend does not duplicate provision which is funded elsewhere by government, partners or commercial providers. Post-award checks are in place to confirm funded items, including equipment and technology, are being used as intended, with explanations or repayment sought where concerns arise.
A new digital FSF application system, due to launch nationally by the end of March, will strengthen oversight by providing improved data and enabling more detailed scrutiny of awards. This will ensure funding is used appropriately and delivers value for money.
Asked by: Mike Wood (Conservative - Kingswinford and South Staffordshire)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what guidance is issued to work coaches on the provision of equipment through the Flexible Support Fund.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
There is clear guidance in place for work coaches to follow when making awards. Work coaches must explore all other potential sources of financial support before using the Flexible Support Fund (FSF), so that spend does not duplicate provision which is funded elsewhere by government, partners or commercial providers. Post-award checks are in place to confirm funded items, including equipment and technology, are being used as intended, with explanations or repayment sought where concerns arise.
A new digital FSF application system, due to launch nationally by the end of March, will strengthen oversight by providing improved data and enabling more detailed scrutiny of awards. This will ensure funding is used appropriately and delivers value for money.
Asked by: Apsana Begum (Labour - Poplar and Limehouse)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department plans to provide additional funding to colleges for staff pay.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
Further education (FE) colleges, rather than government, are responsible for setting and negotiating staff pay and terms and conditions within colleges.
In May 2025, the department announced a further £190 million investment for colleges and other 16 to 19 providers, in addition to the £400 million of extra funding we already planned to spend on 16 to 19 education in the 2025/26 financial year.
In October 2025, the department announced plans to go further in the 2026/27 financial year. From the Spending Review settlement, we will invest nearly £800 million extra on top of the original £400 million announced in 2025/26.
This significant investment will support the recruitment and retention of expert teachers in high value subject areas, and interventions to retain top teaching talent.
Targeted Recruitment Incentives of up to £6,000 (after tax) are available for eligible early career FE teachers working in key science, technology, engineering and maths and technical shortage subjects, in colleges, including in sixth form colleges. This is separate to teacher salaries.
Asked by: Viscount Stansgate (Labour - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether the contribution of the mathematical sciences will be reflected in UK Research and Innovation’s revised corporate plan.
Answered by Lord Vallance of Balham - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Department recognises the mathematical sciences is a key element for the advancement of all areas of science and technology. In 2025-2026, UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) committed £25 million to core mathematical sciences, alongside wider support through the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), including, Centres for Doctoral Training (CDTs) in mathematical sciences and related areas.
UKRI’s current corporate plan for 2025-2027, published on 25th November 2025, includes the launch of new doctoral training awards to target priority areas, including £1 million for mathematical sciences through EPSRC.
The Government plan to publish a single UKRI Delivery Plan, which will provide an update on UKRI’s plans for the 2026-27 financial year.